We face an epidemic of neurological and learning disorders that cannot be explained away by simple genetics. The Center for Disease Control report that one out of six children in the United States has a neurological disorder.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), 82,482 students receive special-education services. Students with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) fall under the “Other Health Impairment” category where a total of 7,070 were enrolled in 2010. There is no specific category for ADHD. Therefore, all students with this eligibility do not necessarily have ADHD. The number of students enrolled in the Other Health Impairment category, have been steadily increasing by approximately 500 each year over the past several years.

The increase in autistic students enrolled in LAUSD between 2003 and 2010 is truly alarming, especially since the overall student population decreased during those years.